This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.This material reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein

Case Studies

Case Studies

The main goal of the project is to introduce and promote a new methodology for learning Lithuanian as a foreign language with the help of modern technologies. The project is intended for adult learners who want to learn the language independently. Self-study material is available on the web and also on a CD. A three-level syllabus has been developed, which serves as a framework of reference for the project.

The project idea was born due to the increased interest and need to learn lithuanian not just in classroom but at a distance, which was especially important for the Lithuanian diaspora that was keen on reviving contacts with the newly restored Republic of Lithuania and for minorities that needed to acquire Lithuanian and as state language.

Objectives

The main objective of the project was to provide a course of Lithuanian that could be used for self-study; it was to be based on the new methods and new language learning technologies, including a CD for beginners and a distant learning course for more advanced learners.

Approach

According to Meilute Ramoniene ( project coordinator)the review of the exsisting courses of Lithuanian did not meet the reuirements of the new generation of learners: the offered topics were often out of date; the courses tended to be too theoretical, which is not suitable for distant learners.Therefore the initial decision of the course designers was to creat the course that would motivate learners rather than frighten them off .

Results

The course of Lithuanian included several products: a CD for beginners, the distant learning materials placed on www.euro-languages.net and also on the official site of the department of minorities; the preparation of the distant learning website for learning Lithuanian, Estonian,Polish, Finnish and Portugese.

Why the European Language Label?

The project team felt confident about the results of the project. The partners from Lithuania,Finland, Estonia,Poland and Portugal created Oneness City website the provided most attractive learning materials for five less widely used languages of Europe.

Activities following the award of the European Language Label

According to M. Ramoniene, all project partners highly evaluated the professional and personal ties developed while working together.
As they represented different sectors ( universities, businesses, IT companies), they contributed to the success with their own expertise, that proved most beneficial for all involved

Assessment of the Impact of the European Language Label

The ELL encoureged other language related projects at the Lithiuanian studies faculty of Vilnius University. The project partners applied for another project ( for a more advanced level) but did not get funding.
The "oneness city" website is still widely used by Erazmus students, also by many people who need to learn the language on their own

Recommendations for future applicants for the ELL

If you feel you have achieved good results, let other people know it. Remember that good and reliable partners are the main guarantee of the project success

THE NELLIP NETWORK’S PERSPECTIVE

Consistency with European Policies in the field of Language Learning

The project results corresponded to the priorities of the year; it promoted new, technologically supported ways of learning languages.

Consistency with European, National and yearly priorities

The project succeeded in creating friendly and motivating atnosphere of learning languages.

THE NATIONAL AGENCY’S PERSPECTIVE

Motivations

The project creatively used new technologies for promoting distant learning of the Lithuanian language.

An audio- video presentation of the NELLIP project has been created and made available in the Information section of the NELLIP portal. To access the presentation please click here: http://nellip.pixel-online.org/IF_intro.php.